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How Long Does it Take for Your Band to Setup?
- Thread starter Flight Time
- Start date
a huge pa isn't needed for most gigs. so for most gigs where we use a powered mixer, two mains on stands and one monitor for the vocalist, not long. 1/2 hour maybe?
I use a small head as a preamp, a poweramp, and two small cabinets. Oh yeah, then i have to plug in my tuner pedal and connect my sans amp in the effects loop. From the car to full setup with my bass on a stand this takes 5 min. A bit too long.
For a big pa, over an hour (if you've done it a lot) is pushing it. If everyone knows what they need to do, has a job, stays focused, and if you plan ahead before throwing cases all over the stage, it really doesn't have to take long.
One question. Does everyone really need monitors? I have played in a lot of situations and have gotten really good at being able to hear what i need to even if this means i am looking at the bass drum head flutter to find the "one". I think this is an underrated skill. I've also found that multiple monitors all over the place can cause more feedback headaches than they are worth unless the soundman is really skilled and people do what they say.
My bass rig is about that size and if everyone stays outta my way, I can be all set up in 5-7 minutes, too... Next outing I'll try to remember to time myself with the stopwatch in my new phone just in case I'm delusional!
That technique of watching your drummer's foot - I had to do that at one of my very first shows with my previous group. We were playing in a new place that was a serious echo chamber (too new for any sound treatment) and I couldn't even hear my 4x10 while I was parked right in front of it. Not much fun staring at the kick for an evening, but it got me through and we apparently sounded good out in the room, even with the natural reverb.
If everyone knows what they need to do... BIG if, right? It sucks when some band members leave the PA setup outside their realm of responsibility, especially since we all use it.
For a two-piece band with frequent guests:
We use an 8 channel powered mixer which runs two stage monitors, into a 3,000w amp that runs two massive 15" mains and two 10" Peavey mains. My backline is a 4x10 and 1x15 (I recently started bi-amping, but haven't gigged with it yet). Only the kick drum is usually mic'd, sometimes we'll add a condenser by the hihat and snare. 2-3 mics, plus the DI from my amp go to the mixer (although I barely add any bass in, I let the cabs produce most of the FOH sound). We can be set up and playing in 20 min, 30 if we have to integrate a guest player. Load out is usually longer to pack everything in the back of an SUV and a compact car; maybe 40min.
We use an 8 channel powered mixer which runs two stage monitors, into a 3,000w amp that runs two massive 15" mains and two 10" Peavey mains. My backline is a 4x10 and 1x15 (I recently started bi-amping, but haven't gigged with it yet). Only the kick drum is usually mic'd, sometimes we'll add a condenser by the hihat and snare. 2-3 mics, plus the DI from my amp go to the mixer (although I barely add any bass in, I let the cabs produce most of the FOH sound). We can be set up and playing in 20 min, 30 if we have to integrate a guest player. Load out is usually longer to pack everything in the back of an SUV and a compact car; maybe 40min.
How long does it take a drummer to set up his set? Everything else is done and over with before he gets his shtuff in order. Half hour, maybe...but thats not counting sound check.
5-piece cover band (drums, bass, 3 guitars with everyone but the drummer on vox).
1.5 - 2 hrs to set-up depending on if everyone gets there on time (which usually doesn't happen), and how much troubleshooting needs to be done after everything is plugged in (which usually does). We've taken up to 3.5 hours but that was at a place that let us set up 2 nights before the show (so we basically had all night), and it was our first time there so we had a lot of sound issues to work through. We mix our own sound from the stage so a full-band soundcheck per se doesn't usually happen... but we've never had any complaints.
You would think teardown would go much faster but unfortunately, not so much. A couple of the guys like to take their time and socialize after the gigs whereas I'm all about getting packed up, getting paid and getting home.
1.5 - 2 hrs to set-up depending on if everyone gets there on time (which usually doesn't happen), and how much troubleshooting needs to be done after everything is plugged in (which usually does). We've taken up to 3.5 hours but that was at a place that let us set up 2 nights before the show (so we basically had all night), and it was our first time there so we had a lot of sound issues to work through. We mix our own sound from the stage so a full-band soundcheck per se doesn't usually happen... but we've never had any complaints.
You would think teardown would go much faster but unfortunately, not so much. A couple of the guys like to take their time and socialize after the gigs whereas I'm all about getting packed up, getting paid and getting home.
My main band takes about 45 minutes, if we use everything. I think we use too much gear.
I think two subs in a small room and an individual monitor for everyone is overkill.
I play with some folk that set up in ten or fifteen minutes. That's how it should be.
Andy
I think two subs in a small room and an individual monitor for everyone is overkill.
I play with some folk that set up in ten or fifteen minutes. That's how it should be.
Andy
4 piece: bass, drums, vocals, guitar. Smallish PA (4 cabs, 2 amps), 2 stage monitors. Everything gets a mic on the drum kit, one each for vocals, 1 for guitarist's cab. Couple of light poles and a fog machine.
Usually about 1.5 hours till all in, setup, and sound checked.
If I just have to worry about me:
For small gigs I can load in with one trip. 6U rack, pedal board, 4x10 cab (with big wheels), bass on my back. Setup, including load-in, takes less than 5 minutes.
For anything larger, I bring a 2 seperate monitors for just bass, one for me, one for the drummer. Usually an extra 1x15 or 4x10 with a seperate power amp. Load in and setup up usually takes about 20 minutes in that config.
Usually about 1.5 hours till all in, setup, and sound checked.
If I just have to worry about me:
For small gigs I can load in with one trip. 6U rack, pedal board, 4x10 cab (with big wheels), bass on my back. Setup, including load-in, takes less than 5 minutes.
For anything larger, I bring a 2 seperate monitors for just bass, one for me, one for the drummer. Usually an extra 1x15 or 4x10 with a seperate power amp. Load in and setup up usually takes about 20 minutes in that config.
Get rid of some monitors. Use them for the Drummer or vocalist. Challange the drummer to a set up contest. If you win? you'll cut your time in half.
MAN ain't that the truth.I do not even use the P.A., and I am the one that has to set up/tear down.the set up is the same every frigging time for the most part, and lackeys standing around, don't know where to start.
There's a guy in my band like that too. He will show up at least an hour later than everyone else (claiming he had to work late, had to take a shower, whetever), then while the rest of us are setting up P.A. he's restringing his guitar. Completely ignoring the other (much more experienced) guitarists' advice that you NEVER put on new strings right before the show. The guility guitarist is the "kid" of the band (25-ish) so the rest of us are hoping he grows up one of these times.
We usually get him back though... we have him load the trailer at 2 am when it's 10 degrees outside.
Thats one way to do it.
...maybe he assumes that he can be late/not setup because he has to load out
Side note to my previous post:
The band I'm in has our own stuff, but we pay someone to run it. A few months ago I noticed he was getting equal share, but usually the band carried a majority of things in and out. Lately I've taken the approach of 'let the guy we're paying do it, I've got my own stuff no one is carrying for me'..
Its not turned out like i'd hope. I went back to just helping and shutting up. Overall band morale was off a noticable amount. Everything is getting back to normal now that I've given up on trying to make the world around me 'fair'. :scowl:
Sometimes it just doesn't pay to rock the boat
That was one of the great things about the band I spent most of the last 9 years with. For a long time, we were a 3-piece; guitar, bass, Vox, pre-programmed drums/backing tracks. It took about 5 minutes to set up our gear backstage, and when it was our turn to setup on stage, we rolled our rigs out and were ready to soundcheck within 2 minutes. Since our drums/backing tracks were only a L/R feed, this was quick and easy. Sound guys loved us. After our set, we cleared the stage in less than 90 seconds. Other bands loved us as well, because they could use more of the 15-minute change between acts. When we hired a drummer, we required that their kit be mounted on a rack that could be moved on/off the stage as quickly as possible.
My personal opinion, if you are paying a guy an equal cut to run your sound, then he should be physically carrying most if not all of the P.A. To pay a guy a full cut just to turn knobs and then you're still lugging his gear is ridiculous. And, if you're paying a guy a flat fee and it's above what he'd get as a cut, then he should be carrying all the P.A. gear and the band members just are responsible for their personal stuff. A few of the pro sound guys I know, in fact, don't want the band to carry the P.A. stuff cause the sound guy owns it and he doesn't want anything to happen to it.
I still agree though, he should carry it, it was why he is there... But he did take it on himself to double check the door counts. We didn't even know he was doing it till one bar tried to short us 50-odd covers.
But sometimes its just not worth causing the stress in anyone else (the guitarist mainly) to push the issue.
But sometimes its just not worth causing the stress in anyone else (the guitarist mainly) to push the issue.
1.5-2 hours
I do think anything over 2 hours is kinda getting rediculous for normal gigs. We can do a full PA with subs and monitors and soundchecked in 2 hours. Less is more, and KISS should be excercised. one thing I cant stand is when people bring too much crap for a gig. There's been gigs where we left the monitors at home and just pointed the mains in toward the stage a bit to hear so we could sing.
I do think anything over 2 hours is kinda getting rediculous for normal gigs. We can do a full PA with subs and monitors and soundchecked in 2 hours. Less is more, and KISS should be excercised. one thing I cant stand is when people bring too much crap for a gig. There's been gigs where we left the monitors at home and just pointed the mains in toward the stage a bit to hear so we could sing.
